


To Swim Again

by Aislashu



Category: Free!
Genre: Angst, Beating, Bullying, Caring, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Old Friends, Original Character-centric, Protectiveness, Swim Team, Swimming
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-29
Updated: 2013-11-05
Packaged: 2017-12-25 00:42:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/946646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aislashu/pseuds/Aislashu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A once-promising swimmer, Iori quit after losing his leg two years ago. Believing his quitting and depression were due to the loss of his leg, his mother had him transferred to Samezuka Academy hoping to inspire him to swim again. The first person he meets is a rather chatty, up-beat gray-haired boy...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Free! or its characters. Only the OCs are mine. ^.^ I hope you enjoy this story!

    Samezuka Academy loomed imposingly in front of him. It had one of the best Championship Swimming teams around, if not one of the best in the nation. He didn't even swim anymore, yet his mom decided to send him here. He let out a frustrated sigh and brushed a stray purple spike of hair away from his face.  
  
    "It won't work, mom," the boy muttered to himself.   
  
    The students were flowing around him, heading into the school and ignoring the kid standing like an idiot staring at the building. He finally sighed and adjusted his bag, heading in towards the main office. He had to get checked in, get his room assignment, his class schedule...what a chore. Deciding he may as well get it over with, he began to make his way in.  
  
    The boy had a pronounced limp, and it wasn't something he could really help, unfortunately. As he made his way towards the front doors, then burst open and a gray-haired boy waved at him excitedly. That excited look became one of concern, however, when the boy noticed the limp, rushing forward.  
  
    "Oh my gosh, are you ok? Did you hurt yourself on the way here? You're the new kid right? I was told to wait for you to take you to the office! And then I saw you just kinda standing outside and staring at the school, and I figured no regular student would do that, so you had to be the new kid! Right? I'm Nitori Aiichirou, do I know you? You look familiar!"  
  
    "I really doubt that," the boy muttered, just staring at the boy before him.   
  
    "Really? Weird! What's your name?"  
  
    "Watanabe Iori," he said, frowning.  
  
    "You're a swimmer!"  
  
    Wait, what? Iori frowned and took a closer look at the boy before him but shook his head again. He didn't recognize him, at all. And he hadn't done any swimming in almost two years.   
  
    "Not anymore, I'm not. How did you even know that?"  
  
    "I'm a swimmer too!" Nitori smiled brightly. "You were really good! Why did you stop?"  
  
    "I don't want to talk about it."  
  
    "You must want to swim again, though! You're here! I'll get to swim with you, that's awesome!" Nitori grabbed Iori's hand excitedly.  
  
    "What? No!" Iori frowned, shaking his head. "That's what my mom thinks, but it's not going to happen."  
  
    Nitori's face fell, and the grip became a bit more urgent on his hand, tugging it.   
  
    "But why? You have to swim! We don't have many Individual Medley swimmers right now..."  
  
    "Why do you even care?" Iori jerked his hand away, half afraid the boy would try and drag him away. "Can we just go to the office...please?"  
  
    "Do you need any help? Your limp..."  
  
    "I'm NOT a fucking CRIPPLE!" Iori burst out.  
  
    He shoved Nitori aside and made his way to the front doors, yanking them open. Nitori stared after the purple-haired boy in shock, then his eyes drifted down to Iori's legs. Those blue eyes widened, taking in Iori's right side, and the empty-looking leg of the boy's pants. Once over the shock, he ran after the boy, catching up to him...though it wasn't too hard.   
  
    "I...I didn't say that, I just thought...maybe you fell...I didn't know..."  
  
    "Didn't know WHAT?" Iori spoke through gritted teeth, nearly a growl.   
  
    "N..nothing..." Nitori gulped, looking away. "You remind me of Senpai. You're all....grumpy."  
  
    "Grumpy."  
  
    "Uh-huh," Nitori nodded. "You know, all...GRR! RAWR! I eat your head!"  
  
    Nitori raised his arms and hooked his fingers like claws, making his most menacing 'GRR!' face...which, really, was about as menacing as a marshmallow peep. How could Iori be pissed at that? It was actually pretty funny. He shook his head, laughing a little.   
  
    "You...are a strange kid. I don't think you could scare anyone."  
  
    "Rawr!" Nitori waved his 'claws' at Iori, then burst out laughing. "Oh, I know!"  
  
    "No."  
  
    "But I didn't say anything yet!"  
  
    "Still, no."  
  
    "At least hear me out, meanie!" Nitori huffed, crossing his arms and looking very much the petulant child.  
  
    Iori glanced over at Nitori and groaned to himself. Oh, for...dammit. What was with this kid, anyway? Maybe the chlorine was getting to his head.   
  
    "Fine, say it."  
  
    "You could at least WATCH swim practice, couldn't you?"  
  
    "Why?"  
  
    "Because!"  
  
    "That's not an answer."  
  
    "I'll cry?"  
  
    "What? Bullshit."  
  
    Nitori stuck out his bottom lip and made it tremble, and those blue eyes got wider, starting to water. Iori stared at the gray-haired boy and narrowed his sea-green eyes, crossing his arms.  Nitori folded his hands together and raised them up to his chin, twitching his little nose and sniffling softly as he gazed at Iori with all the watery sadness he could muster.  
  
    "Oh, god dammit!"  
  
    "YES!" Nitori squealed, pumping his fist into the air.   
  
    "ONE practice, ok? That's it, no more. Just one."  
  
    "You'll join, I know it!"   
  
    "I haven't done any competitive swimming for two years."  
  
    "Bet you still swim, though!"  
  
    Iori looked away and sighed. Thankfully, he was saved from saying anything due to their arrival at the office. Iori got his course schedule and room assignment, making his way back to Nitori. They compared schedules--well, Nitori snatched his schedule and compared it--and found that they shared a number of classes, causing Iori to roll his eyes. Nitori just grinned brightly.  
  
    "Aaaand your room isn't far from mine!"  
  
    "Ooooof course it isn't," Iori huffed. "There's probably a secret passage connecting my room to yours, even."  
  
    "That would be so cool!"  
  
    "No....no it wouldn't," Iori frowned.   
  
    "You're so mean," Nitori pouted.   
  
    "And you're....pushy."  
  
    "Some people need a push sometimes!"  
  
    "I've had enough pushes, thanks. Into the pool, into a wall, into a locker..."  
  
    "What?" Nitori frowned.   
  
    "Never mind..." Iori rubbed the bridge of his nose.   
  
    "I'm sorry I annoy you," Nitori said softly.   
  
    "What? Ah...shit. Look...I'm just...not used to you, that's all. Or...well, people being friendly. So...don't apologize. I'm sorry I'm an ass."  
  
    "But...you're not!"  
  
    "Liar..."  
  
    "Well, maybe a little?" Nitori giggled, smiling at Iori.  
  
    "Or, you know, a lot. Grr, rawr, eat your head and all that. Your words, you know."  
  
    "I was talking about Senpai!"  
  
    "While comparing me to him!"  
  
    "Oh...yeah." Nitori grinned cutely.  
  
    "Ugh. You must poop sunshine and rainbows, I swear."  
  
    "Well...you poop....poop!"  
  
    "Clever."  
  
    "Shut up!"  
  
    "God, I wish you would."  
  
    Nitori opened his mouth, almost hurt, when he noticed the glimmer in Iori's eyes. Iori was teasing him! Jerk. But Nitori couldn't help but grin instead sticking out his tongue before leading the boy to his assigned room.  
  
    "Here you are!"  
  
    "I'll see you at practice?"  
  
    "Yeah, yeah...just WATCHING, though!"  
  
    "Uh-huh," Nitori giggled and waved. "See you!"  
  
    Iori opened the door to his room and stepped inside, glad to find it empty. He sat down on the bottom bunk and dropped his bag, opening it and digging around for the small pill bottle, twisting the cap and popping two pills. He sighed, rubbing his right leg slowly. He had to watch the practice tonight, and that would be it, he promised himself. Nothing Nitori could do would change his mind.   
  
    But maybe it would be nice to at least pretend he was on a team again. He just couldn't tell Nitori that, the boy would most certainly keep nagging him to join, then. But once the boy found out? And the rest of the team...he couldn't let that happen. He couldn't go through the torment again. Gritting his teeth, he clenched his fist and hit his right leg, just above the knee, refusing to let the tears fall. He just had to get through this one practice, and that would be it.   
  
    He took a deep breath to calm himself, holding it before he exhaled slowly. He repeated that a few times, then glanced up when the door opened. The taller, rather well-build black-haired boy looked surprised for a minute, then stepped inside.   
  
    "You must be Watanabe-kun," the boy said, looking Iori over.   
  
    "Yeah...that's me."  
  
    "Ichirou Daiki. And you're on my bunk."  
  
    "Sorry, I was just resting," Iori got up and moved over to a chair.  
  
    "Got an issue with your leg?" Daiki stared at Iori, watching the boy limp.  
  
    "No. No issue."  
  
    "Good, cause I'm not giving up my bunk. You could be missing your damn leg for all I care."  
  
    Iori glared at the boy and grabbed the leg of his pants, yanking it up and showing the prosthetic hidden by the fabric. They had to saddle him with an asshole...of course they did. He stared at Daiki, watching the boy's eyes go rather large and face go quite pale as those eyes refused to turn away from the metal bar that was his leg.   
  
    "What the fuck. The saddled me with a fucking cripple, this is some sick joke!"  
  
    "I'd say the joke would be on me." Iori dropped the leg of his pants and got up. "Don't worry, I don't want your precious bunk. Being on the bottom suits you."  
  
    Iori pushed passed his dorm mate and walked out, feeling the bile in the back of his throat. He was too stubborn to go to the office and request a reassignment, so he was just going to have to deal with Daiki on his own. He kept walking, and before he knew it he'd pushed open a set of double doors and was standing on the pool deck, facing the water. The smell of chlorine was almost...comforting.   
  
    The pool was empty, so Iori made his way over to the starting blocks. He sat on the starting block for lane five and stared down at the water. His family had thought losing his leg had been the cause of his depression, had stopped his love for swimming...for competing. They never knew...he never said anything.  
  
  
 _"Everyone get out of the water!" one of the boys shouted._  
  
 _"Hurry! Shark Bait got in! Get out before a shark comes and gets you too!"_  
  
 _The laughter was cruel, made worse by the fact that kids actually did scramble out of the water._  
  
 _"You might wanna get out too Shark Bait, before you lose your other leg!"_  
  
      
    The day he quit for good had been the day Sousuke had finally joined in on the taunting, giving in to the pressure of the other kids. That had been it. But the taunting hadn't stopped. It had seeped in to school, gotten worse. He was starting to regret his decision to come watch a practice, he was too afraid to subject himself to the same treatment he was sure he was going to get. Already he was saddled with one person who may end up making his life hell.   
  
    Why would this swim team be any different?  
   


	2. Keep On Swimming That Butterfly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iori finds himself at the pool just before practice and ends up helping Seijuurou with the equipment...when practice starts, the last person he expected to see from his past turns out to be on the Samezuka team. Nitori could never have made him swim...
> 
> ...but Rin could.

    The double doors opened and the figure paused, seeing a fully-dressed boy sitting on one of the starting blocks. That was...new.   
  
    "You know, you'll ruin the uniform if you fall in," Seijuurou said as he stepped in, smiling.  
  
    "I won't fall in." Iori glanced over, then shifted to move off the starting block. "Practice must be getting ready to start, I'll get out of the way."  
  
    "You the new kid Nitori's all worked up about?"  
  
    "I suppose," Iori shrugged. "I'm just here because he wouldn't leave me alone."  
  
    "He gets that way," Seijuurou smiled softly. "I won't force you, of course. Are you sure you don't want to at least swim with us today?"  
  
    "I have no plans on swimming with anyone. Ever."  
  
    Seijuurou regarded Iori quietly and decided not to force the issue. He gave the clearly uncomfortable boy a warm smile and walked over to him, bowing lightly and extending his hand.  
  
    "Well, at the very least let me welcome you to Samezuka, I'm Mikoshiba Seijuurou, Captain of the Swim Club!"  
  
    "Watanabe Iori," Iori murmured, returning the bow a little more deeply before he shook Seijuurou's hand.   
  
    "Have you met anyone else other than Nitori-kun?"  
  
    "Daiki," Iori muttered, not bothering to mask the contempt in his voice.  
  
    Seijuurou blinked and scratched the back of his head, the smile on his face becoming a bit awkward.   
  
    "I see. Ichirou-san can be..."  
  
    "...an asshole? Fuckwit? Imbecile?"  
  
    "...just how did you meet him?" Seijuurou asked, shocked.  
  
    "Dorm mate."  
  
    "I...see..." Seijuurou gave an awkward grin and quickly decided to change the subject. "Well, even if you're not going to try out, want to help me pull out the equipment?"  
  
    "Eh...why not," Iori shrugged.   
  
    He followed Seijuurou into the side closet and started helping the older boy bring out the kickboards, buoys, and other equipment used during practices. Iori was amazed at the quality of the equipment Samezuka had, the school definitely cared about its Swim Club.   
  
    "Nice stuff, huh?" Seijuurou grinned.  
  
    "Not bad," Iori shrugged.   
  
    "Nitori was right," he couldn't help laughing, shaking his head.  
  
    "About what?" Iori frowned. "Are you making fun of me?"  
  
    "No, no!" Seijuurou smiled. "I wouldn't do that..."  
  
    "Yeah, right..."  
  
    "I wouldn't! I'm not that kind of guy."  
  
    "I've heard that before." Iori shook his head and moved away. "Where can I watch from? I'd rather not sit on the floor."  
  
    "The balcony, up there."  
  
    Iori nodded and made his way off, heading up the stairs to the balcony. It wasn't much longer before the swimmers started filing in from the lockers, and Iori spotted Nitori looking around. Upon catching sight of him on the balcony, Nitori waved, smiling brightly. He raised his hand in acknowledgement, and Nitori turned away, happy.   
  
    "SENPAI!" Nitori cried out, heading up to a boy that had come out, still in a warm-up suit. "Senpai, we got the new kid I told you about here!"  
  
    "What do I care?"  
  
    Iori had stopped looking at Nitori, but he looked back at the boy's shout, to see just who it was he'd been compared to. He straightened, gripping the edge of the balcony when he saw who it was. He moved away, and Nitori looked confused when he pointed to the balcony, only to find no one there.   
  
    "He..he was there a minute ago!" Nitori frowned.  
  
    "Tch...materializing your imaginary friends now, Nitori?"  
  
    Nitori frowned, looking back at the balcony. He was about to head to it when Seijuurou called all the first years over. Sighing, Nitori made his way to the starting blocks. Iori was standing in the stairwell leading to the balcony, shaking his head. He was wrong, of course. He had to be. He made his way down, but suddenly found himself in front of the boy Nitori had been speaking to. It was!  
  
    "Rin-chan..."  
  
    Rin's lips curved into a snarl. Who dared call him that? He stepped back and looked down, and the snarl quickly fell from his lips in surprise.   
  
    "Otouto?!"  
  
    Iori gripped the rail of the stairs, staring up at the maroon-haired boy before him. It was all he could do not to hug the boy. But at the same time, he was a bit surprised that Rin wasn't hugging him, either. This wasn't the Rin he'd known back in elementary school.  
  
    "It really is you...I haven't seen you since you since you swam against us with Iwatobi. What happened to Australia?"  
  
    "Nothing. I'm just here now, that's all. What happened to wanting to be an Olympic swimmer?"  
  
    "I..." Iori looked away. "Things change. You're different, too."  
  
    "I grew up. Doesn't seem like it can be said for you," Rin said coldly.  
  
    "What...?" Iori frowned, staring up at Rin, who just turned and walked away.  
  
    "Hey...wait!" Iori moved after Rin, grabbing the back of his track suit.   
  
    "What?" Rin turned back, staring down at Iori.  
  
    "Don't turn your back on me!"  
  
    "Why not? Why are you even here? According to Nitori, you stopped swimming. I didn't help you become a better swimmer so you could become a fucking quitter."  
  
    "There's more to it then that!"  
  
    "Spare me whatever sob story you're going to give me."  
  
    "Rin-chan..."   
  
    "You've become a waste..." Rin knocked Iori out of his way. "I can't even look at you."  
  
    Iori fell back and landed hard, tears in his eyes. Rin hadn't expected Iori to actually go down, and the shock on his face was evident. Iori clenched his fists, keeping his head down. Rin stared down at Iori, eyes on the boy's right leg, and Rin suddenly felt a bit sick. He reached down, grabbing Iori's hand and hauling him up, steadying him.   
  
    "Are you weak?"  
  
    "Rin..."  
  
    "ARE. YOU. WEAK?!"  
  
    "NO!" Iori shouted, trying to shove Rin back, but Rin wouldn't let go.   
  
    Rin grabbed Iori's face and turned his head up, trying not to react to the tears in those green eyes.   
  
    "You are."  
  
    "I'm NOT! I'll fucking prove it!"  
  
    Rin gave the boy his best sharp-toothed grin.   
  
    "Mikoshiba...clear the pool."  
  
    "What?"  
  
    "Clear the fucking pool. There's going to be a race. Nitori...get the kid a suit."  
  
    Rin let go and turned, walking away from Iori, leaving him stunned. Seijuurou was still inwardly fuming at what he saw, but...Rin was making the boy swim. He didn't know why Iori refused, but if Rin was going to make the boy face whatever it was...could he really fault it? Nitori walked over, gingerly touching Iori's arm.   
  
    "Just tell me where the extra stuff is. I can get ready myself."  
  
    "The last locker..." Nitori frowned, upset. "I'm sorry..."  
  
    "Stop."   
  
    Iori sighed, heading to the locker room. Nitori wouldn't have been able to make him swim, that much he was sure of. Rin had been unexpected. He'd admired and looked up to Rin back in their Sano Elementary days. Rin had even helped him perfect his Butterfly. He'd looked up to Rin like a brother. But then Rin had left for Iwatobi...he saw the boy one last time at a meet, and then Rin was gone. He could have lived with that...Rin had inspired the Olympic dream in him, and he was eager to pursue it, meet Rin again at the Olympics some day. Until the attack happened.   
  
    Pushing it from his mind, Iori stripped down, grabbing a spare suit, swim cap, and goggles. He sat down, slowly undoing his prosthetic leg, setting it aside before he tugged off the sleeve protecting his skin. He tugged the suit on, tucked his hair into his cap, then pulled on the goggles...snapping the strap against his head. He couldn't help but wonder if Rin still did that. He'd never gotten out of the habit after picking it up from him.  
  
    He could hear the buzz of the other swimmers talking outside. He stood, making sure he had his balance on his foot before he made his way out with steady, careful hops. The odd sound drew all eyes towards him when he emerged, and all sound abruptly stopped. Nitori's hands were covering his mouth, eyes wide. Rin's lips were in a thin line, hands clenched at his sides as he stared at Iori.   
  
    "Watanabe-kun..." Seijuurou came up next to him, touching his shoulder. "You don't..."  
  
    "Yes...I do." Iori's eyes sought out Rin, who had stripped down to his own ankle-length jammers.   
  
    "Tch...you going to stand there all day, Otouto, or you going to hop on over and actually swim?"  
  
    "At least let me offer you my arm, then," Seijuurou said, shooting Rin a small glare.  
  
    Iori blinked in surprise, looking up at Seijuurou. The team captain smiled, offering his arm for support. Iori swallowed and nodded, putting his hand in the crook of Seijuurou's elbow and letting the older teen help support him, hopping beside him towards the starting blocks.   
  
    "About time," Rin said, pulling down his goggles and reaching back, snapping the strap and smirking at Iori. "I'll even let you choose the stroke."  
  
    "Butterfly."  
  
    "You don't stand a chance."  
  
    "You can do it, Iori-chan!" Nitori cheered.  
  
    Iori let go of Seijuurou's arm and hopped over to the starting block, managing to get up. Rin watched before climbing onto the block himself, smirking.   
  
    "Ready...set..."  
  
    Iori carefully balanced himself as he bent down, fingers gripping the edge of the starting block. He could feel the roiling in his gut that he usually got before every race...the excitement, the queasiness that never seemed to leave until that one moment...  
  
    Seijuurou blew the whistle, and both boys launched off the starting blocks. Rin's dive was more powerful, taking him further, but Iori wasn't too far behind. Butterfly was more about upper body, and he just had to remember to center his kick. Stroke...stroke...breathe. Stroke...stroke...breathe.  The cheering was a buzz, and he barely heard it through his concentration. He was approaching the turn, but he crossed Rin on the approach, the other boy ahead of him.   
  
    Both hands slammed to the wall and Iori twisted into the turn, the Butterfly's turn different than the typical flip turn used in Freestyle. He kicked off the wall, getting a good distance before he surfaced and increased his pace. He couldn't beat Rin, he knew that. But he could catch the boy's heels at least. And he came close, just after the halfway mark. Rin's hands hit the wall a good five seconds ahead of his.   
  
    Iori surfaced, breathing hard and pulling off his goggles. Rin was leaning on the lane divider, a rather shit-eating grin on his face. Iori caught his breath slowly and glanced at Rin, frowning.   
  
    "What?"  
  
    "You swam."  
  
    "Yeah...so I did. So what?"  
  
    "I bet Nitori fifty bucks I could make the new kid swim."  
  
    So that explained the happy-yet-heart broken look on Nitori's face.   
  
    "Is that the only reason?"  
  
    "No." Rin moved and climbed out, moving over and leaning down, offering his hand to Iori, helping the boy out of the pool.  
  
    "Then why?" Iori gripped Rin's hand, frowning up at him.   
  
    "Because my Otouto rises to challenges, not runs away from them. I can't believe Sousuke let you quit."  
  
    Iori tugged his hand away, averting his gaze at the mention of Sousuke. Seijuurou came up to them, stopwatch in hand as he stared at Iori. Iori frowned at the boy's look.  
  
    "What?"  
  
    "If you don't join the swim club, I'm going to cry."   
  
    "Did Nitori get that from you or did you get that from him?" Iori frowned.   
  
    Rin couldn't help laughing at Seijuurou's put-out look, and Nitori stuck out his tongue at Iori before turning his puppy eyes on Rin.  
  
    "Matsuoka-senpaaaaiiii, I don't have that much money! You weren't supposed to win!" he whined. "You cheated! You knew him before!"  
  
    "But I didn't know it was HIM! And you shouldn't have made the bet if you didn't have the money."  
  
    Nitori wibbled, his wide eyes on Rin. Seijuurou had his own wide-eyed look on Iori and trying to mimic Nitori's pouty look as best as he could. Iori and Rin exchanged disbelieving glances and looked away.  
  
    "Fine," both boys muttered, with practically the exact same tone of annoyance.   
  
    "SEE?! I told you, Mikoshiba-senpai!" Nitori squealed, laughing.   
  
    "That's...almost scary."  
  
    "What are you.."   
  
    Iori and Rin stopped and looked at each other. Rin crossed his arms and looked away, and Iori laughed and scratched under his swim cap. He turned away and starting to hop back towards the lockers carefully. When someone took his arm to help him, he turned his head, expecting to see Nitori or Seijuurou, but instead found Rin. He looked away, allowing it. Nitori made to follow them, but was stopped by Seijuurou, who shook his head.   
  
    "You hurt me," Iori spoke quietly.  
  
    "You need to toughen up, then."  
      
    "Is that what Australia did? Toughen you up?"  
  
    Rin made a dismissive sound and looked away as he helped Iori into the locker room. He grabbed a towel and handed it to Iori, sitting down and picking up the boy's simple prosthetic leg, turning it in his hands.   
  
    "How? Car accident?"  
  
    "Has your favorite animal changed at all?" Iori asked, drying himself off.  
  
    "What? No," Rin frowned, brows furrowed at the seemingly sudden change of topic. "I still like..."   
  
    Iori couldn't help the small smirk under the towel when he heard the realization strike Rin. He lowered the towel and almost laughed at the shocked look he found.  
  
    "Yeah...figured you were still the Shark Boy."   
  
    "Well...if I'm Shark Boy, what does that make you?"  
  
    "Shark Bait," Iori frowned, sitting down.  
  
    Rin's grin faded as he stared at Iori.  
  
    "Tell me people didn't call you that."  
  
    Rin's fingers clenched when Iori wouldn't look at him. Iori continued to dry himself off, tossing the towel over the discarded swim cap and goggles.   
  
    "Sousuke..."  
  
    "Yeah."  
  
    Iori turned away, keeping his back to Rin as he pushed his borrowed jammers down off his body. Rin got up and walked away from Iori as the boy changed, and nearly caused the boy to fall over from surprise when Rin slammed his fist against a locker, the loud clang echoing through the changing room.  
  
    "And you just...sat there and took it?!" Rin raged, turning to face Iori, who by then at least had his boxers on.  
  
    "And what could I do, Rin?"  
  
    "Not...sit there and take it like a fucking pussy! The shark got your leg, not your balls! Or did it get those, too?"  
  
    Iori just stared at Rin and turned away. He pulled the sleeve on over his stump and then carefully put his prosthetic back on. He could feel Rin's eyes on his back but refused to look Rin's way, and finally he heard Rin's footsteps as the boy left the locker room. He started shaking once Rin left and covered his face in his hands. Rin had been right, though...he felt absolutely pathetic.


	3. Walk Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a chat with Seijuurou, Iori heads back to his dorm room. His dorm mate Daiki makes a return while Iori is cleaning his prosthesis and another confrontation ensues, which leads to Daiki wanting to take out his revenge in the morning. Daiki doesn't realize just who you also fuck with when you mess with Iori...

    "Watanabe-kun?"  
  
    Iori had just finished dressing when he heard Seijuurou's voice. Practice had resumed outside the lockers, but it seemed the team captain had come to check on him. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed softly, turning to look at Seijuurou questioningly.  
  
    "Rin can be an ass sometimes, don't take it personally."  
  
    "He never used to be," Iori frowned.  
  
    "Really? I don't know much about him before he came here. Just that he has a sister, Gou..."  
  
    "Kou..." Iori brightened a bit. "Does she come around a lot?"  
  
    "Sometimes..." Seijuurou eyed Iori. "Were you two...close?"  
  
    "What? No!" Iori laughed softly. "I was...a lot closer to Rin, actually. He was...a lot happier back then."  
  
    "And what about you?"  
  
    "Yeah...me, too."  
  
    "Look...Iori-kun...I'm not going to force you to join the team. But just...think about it, ok? You should have heard the talking once you left. Everyone was awed, and I've never seen the first years swim harder at a practice than they did after that. You inspired them."  
  
    "I...what?"   
  
    "Rin leaves most people in the dust. But not you. Missing a leg, and you wouldn't let Rin leave you behind."  
  
    "I...well..." Iori ducked his head, shrugging. "I did learn everything I know from Rin, back then."  
  
    "Just..." Seijuurou reached out, squeezing Iori's shoulder. "Think about it, ok?" He smiled, brushing a finger under Iori's chin before he headed out.   
  
    Iori made his way out of the lockers, heading to the exit. Nitori waved to him on his way out, and he waved back, watching the boy dive into the water. He paused at the doors and glanced up, seeing Rin on the balcony and looking down at him, though Rin looked away soon as he was noticed. Iori glanced down and sighed, pushing through the door and making his way back to his room.   
  
    Daiki wasn't there, thankfully, and Iori was able to gather his things and go shower in peace. Once back in his room he unpacked the things he needed for now, setting them along the top of his desk. He really didn't feel like braving the cafeteria for dinner, and he was a bit tired, so he had plans to turn in early. He stripped down, pulling on a tanktop and pajama shorts, then sat down on the chair by his desk, removing his leg, liner, and limb sock, then got to work on cleaning.   
  
    Of course, the peace wasn't going to last long, as Daiki decides to return in the middle of Iori's cleaning, seeing the boy's leg across his lap and seeing that bare stump.  
  
    "Dude, what the fuck! Gross. You have to do that shit here?"  
  
    "Considering this is my room...yes."  
  
    "I don't want to see that shit."  
  
    "Too damn bad."  
  
    Daiki snarled at Iori before grabbing what he came in for, heading back out. Iori sighed and shook his head, finishing up with his regular cleaning ritual and carefully setting his leg against the wall. He climbed up into bed and was out cold by the time Daiki came back from dinner. He woke up to his alarm the next morning and sat up carefully, yawning. He moved to the ladder and made his way down, pausing when he got to the bottom. His leg....where was his leg?!   
  
    "Missing something?!"  
  
    "You...where the fuck did you put it, asshole?!"  
  
    "Me?" Daiki smirked. "Maybe it just got up and...walked away?" he laughed.  
  
    "I swear to God..."  
  
    "What? Gonna...KICK my ass?" Daiki laughed again.   
  
    Iori glared and started looking around the room with no luck. Not under the bed...the closet...where the hell was it? Daiki just sat back, laughing. Finally he gave up, pulling on his uniform carefully. He swallowed hard, trying not to cry at the cruelty, and sat down, folding up the empty leg of his uniform pants and pinning it higher up. At least he'd brought a spare crutch, and he had no choice but to use it. He left the room, and Daiki followed, still snickering. Nitori and Rin had just exited their dorm as well, chatting.  
  
    "HEY, NITORI!" Daiki called to the smaller boy. "You like Disney don't you? Come here and meet one of Snow White's dwarves...STUMPY!" Daiki fell back against the wall, laughing at his own wit.   
  
    Nitori and Rin looked over at Daiki's obnoxious shout, and Nitori's eyes went wide, seeing Iori hunched in on himself and without his leg.   
  
    "S...Senpai..."  
  
    But Rin was already gone, striding down the hall like a shark moving in on its prey. Daiki was too busy laughing to notice, and Rin's fist caught him square in the mouth, smacking the boy's head back against the wall and drawing blood. Rin's lips were pulled back in a growl, baring every last one of those sharp teeth, and Daiki didn't even get the chance to move from the wall when Rin's fist connected with his face again.   
  
    "R...RIN!" Iori cried out, startled.  
  
    "Where..." Rin didn't shout. In fact, his voice was more of a deadly whisper, fingers closing against Daiki's throat, leaning in so his face was inches from Daiki's bloodied visage, "is my Otouto's leg?"   
  
    "Y...Your..." Daiki gasped through bloody lips, eyes going wide. Oh, shit. He gurgled a bit when Rin's grip tightened on his throat. "G...gym!" he gasped. "O...on a t...treadmill...."  
  
    "You...fucking disgust me," Rin let go, letting Daiki drop to the floor.  
  
    Nitori was standing next to Iori, rubbing his back, watching Rin in awe, and idly wondering if Rin would ever react that way in HIS defense. He couldn't help feeling slightly jealous of the new kid, but it didn't stop him from hugging the trembling Iori.  
  
    "This is the shit you put up with every day?" Rin demanded.   
      
    "That?" Iori drew back, swallowing hard. At least he'd managed not to cry. "That's just the tip of the iceberg..."  
  
    Rin just stared down at Iori, feeling his own eyes watering. He shook his head and then leaned down, lifting Iori up across his shoulders in a fireman's carry.  
  
    "Let's go get your leg."  
  
    "Dammit, Rin-chan!" Iori yelped in surprise. "I'm not ten anymore!"  
  
    Nitori gawked at them but smiled, laughing softly at Iori's futile struggles.  
  
    "No? Still feels like it."  
  
    "Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!" Iori yelped.  
  
    Rin utterly ignored Iori's pleas and started to walk off towards the gym, carrying the boy across his shoulders. Laughing, Nitori could do nothing but follow. It was nice to see a different side of Rin for once...even if one of those sides was a fucking scary, nearly murderous one.   
  
    "You know it looks like you're being a jerk," Iori huffed.  
  
    "Yeah? Business as usual then."  
  
    "I should tell them you're actually being nice."  
  
    "What?! I am not!" Rin huffed.  
  
    "Uh-huh...if you say so, Rin-chan."  
  
    "I swear one of these days you'll get a spanking, Otouto."  
  
    "You ALWAYS say that. Maybe now you'll be ballsy enough to actually do it."  
  
    "That sounds dirty, Iori-chan!" Nitori piped up from beside them, looking up.   
  
    "Is Rin blushing?"  
  
    "No!" Rin huffed.  
  
    "Yes," Nitori said at the same time, giggling.  
  
    "Then it was meant to be!" Iori laughed.   
  
    "Tch, you can't have a dirty mind. You're still like, 12."  
  
    "I am not! I'm a year younger then you!"  
  
    "Then I'm 13."  
  
    Nitori giggled, listening to them bicker. Iori leaned down and bit Rin's arm, causing the older boy to make a surprised noise.   
  
    "You still bite?!"  
  
    "You still pick me up!" Iori bit again and made playful little chomping noises. "Narm narm narm!"  
  
    "You know it would be a lot easier to take you over my knee since you're missing a leg!"  
  
    "I'd say bite me but your family already took one leg, so..."  
  
    Rin bared his teeth.  
  
    "Senpai..." Nitori sighed and smiled. "I like seeing you like this!"  
  
    "Like what?" Rin frowned.  
  
    "You know...."  
  
    "...not an asshole?" Iori finished, grinning.  
  
    Nitori scratched the back of his head, grinning sheepishly and shrugging. Rin looked surprised, then looked away. Suddenly self-conscious,  he leaned over and set Iori back down, making sure the boy was steady on his foot and crutch before he surged ahead of them.  
  
    "Come on. The gym's just down here," Rin said, walking away.   
  
    Nitori frowned, watching Rin walk off.  Iori just stared after Rin sadly before he leaned on his crutch, making his way slowly after the other boy.   
  
    "I'm sorry," Nitori said, keeping pace with Iori.  
  
    "What for? It was true..." Iori sighed and looked over at Nitori, giving a sad smile. "But...at least one thing good came from that."  
  
    "What?"  
  
    "Well...deep down..." Iori looked back at Rin, who had stopped to wait, back to them and arms crossed. "Rin-chan is still in there. Somewhere."  
  
   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love comments and feedback, guys! Especially here, with my first OC dip into Free. :) 
> 
> So...did Rin redeem himself at all? :x


	4. Shark Bait

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once they find Iori's leg, Rin turns to give Iori a heart-felt piece of his mind, pissed that Iori is so ashamed about what happened to him. After he heads off, Nitori and Iori are left to go to Iori's room, where Nitori watches Iori get ready and end up talking about who else? Rin, of course!

As promised, Iori's leg was standing on a treadmill in the gym. A few students were milling about, staring at it in confusion. Eyes widened when the trio of Rin, Nitori, and Iori came in, shifting to Iori's half-leg before shifting away quickly. 

"Who the fuck would do that? That's messed up," one of the students said, shaking his head. 

"It's taken care of," Rin said, walking forward and grabbing the leg. 

Rin stared down at it, gritting his teeth, tightening his fingers around it. Imagining the shit Iori had gone through...it really just pissed him off. 

"You let people hurt you," Rin's voice was quiet, back to Iori.

"Rin-chan..." Iori frowned.

"Shut up. God damn, let me talk."

Iori looked at Nitori, frowning. He looked back to Rin. 

"I wasn't around to help you, and that pisses me off. The person who I trusted to help you tossed you away, and that makes me want to rip someone apart. It's not going to happen anymore, you hear me?"

Rin turned around and walked over to them, staring down at Iori. The purple-haired boy looked up at Rin, biting his bottom lip. Iori was shorter than Rin...shorter than Nitori, even. Perhaps even shorter than Nagisa. 

"They call you fucking Shark Bait? Fucking own it, god damn it. Laugh at it. Make it yours."

"Rin..." Iori stared, shocked, green eyes watering.

"Senpai..." Nitori supported Iori, staring up at his room mate in awe. 

"This..." Rin knelt down to meet Iori's gaze, touching the boy's stump, "...this is a badge of HONOR, Otouto. You...you SURVIVED A SHARK ATTACK! Why...WHY is that something to be ashamed of?!"

Iori's mouth dropped open, staring down at Rin. He moved forward and into Rin's arms, dropping against the older boy and starting to sob softly into his shoulder. Rin hugged Iori close and let the boy cry, looking down and sighing softly. 

"I know what it's like to want to quit...to feel like nothing," Rin said quietly. "To feel beaten and helpless..."

"W..what?" Iori sniffled and drew back, looking at Rin.

"How, Senpai? You're so strong!"

"I...don't want to go into it. Not now. And it's nothing compared to losing a fucking leg. I hope the shark left you a nice fucking tip after its meal, at least..."

"HEY!" Iori gawked, then laughed a little, shaking his head. 

"That was bad, Senpai," Nitori giggled a bit. 

"Here," Rin handed the leg to Nitori, getting to his feet. "You two have the same classes right?"

"Unfortunately," Iori quipped, and Nitori made a face at him.

"Ok. I'm going to go get you both permission to be late. Later," Rin waved, turning and heading off. 

Nitori held Iori's leg, and Iori leaned on the crutch, heading with the boy back towards his room. 

"Does this hurt?" Nitori asked, examining the leg curiously.

"Not anymore. Sometimes it's uncomfortable, or I didn't put enough socks on to make it fit right, but generally it's fine. My leg still hurts sometimes, though, so I have pain pills in case it gets too bad."

"Are all things like this really simple?"

"No...we just can't afford anything better. They're pretty expensive, and I don't see the reason for it...it works fine."

"I think you're really strong, Iori-chan."

"What?" Iori glanced over at the boy.

"Just..." Nitori blushed and looked away. "I admire you. I...I wouldn't have the strength to be like you."

"It's hard to know what you'd have the strength for until you try. Don't sell yourself short."

"I'll try..." Nitori tilted his head, smiling. 

"Do you want to wait outside?"

"Do you want me to?" Nitori frowned.

"It's just...people tend to get freaked out when they actually have to see...you know.

"Oh! No, I...I'm curious," Nitori mumbled, blushing. "I'd like to see you get ready..."

"You just want to see me in my underwear," Iori teased, opening the door to his room.

"What? No!" Nitori squeaked, face going red. 

"Uh-huh," Iori laughed softly, heading inside. 

Nitori followed and shut the door, turning around, only to promptly turn back towards the door as he saw Iori starting to undo and remove his uniform pants. Iori just chuckled softly and sat on one of the chairs once the pants were off, rolling up the leg of his boxer-briefs to expose most of his stump.

"You know you can't watch with your back turned," Iori teased.

"S..Sorry," Nitori mumbled, turning back around. "There are no shark bite marks!" he said, surprised. 

"No...it bit under the knee, but the damage was pretty bad."

"Oh," Nitori flushed, feeling stupid. 

"This is enough of a battle-scar, anyway."

Nitori nodded, sitting down to watch as Iori took his silicon liner and turned it inside out, rolling it on carefully. 

"This pin locks into the socket and helps keep it in place," Iori explained as he rolled the liner on slowly. "You gotta be careful not to pull this on, just kinda roll it and make sure it's on right. Then you add however many socks you need to adjust the fit, I usually only need a 2-ply sock...that's the thickness."

Nitori nodded, watching Iori prepare, not really bothered, more fascinated really. 

"What do you do next?"

"This..." he took a clear spray bottle. "Half water, half rubbing alcohol..." he sprayed it twice into the socket. "Then I pull it on..."

Iori did and stood carefully, pushing his leg carefully into the socket. 

"That hiss of air, the click...means it's on. This button here," he motions to the one on the side, "releases the air so I can take it off. And that's pretty much my morning."

"That wasn't horrible at all."

"Thanks, Nitori..." Iori paused, then looked over at the boy. "Aichiirou, right?"

"Ah..yes," Nitori nodded, surprised.

"Aichii-chan, then." 

Nitori blinked rapidly and flushed brightly, smiling wide. 

"I've never been called that!"

"Really?"

"Never."

"Well then. Aichii-chan it is, then."

"Okay, Iori-chan!" Nitori said brightly, so happy. 

Iori freed his pants leg from the pin and carefully re-dressed, making sure his shirt was tucked in. Remembering the pony tail Rin had been wearing the first day they'd met again, Iori took a hair band and pulled his purple hair back, tying it into a similar tail. Checking himself, he gave a satisfied nod. He'd emulated Rin for so long back then, it came back almost unconsciously. Nitori giggled.

"You and Senpai really are a lot alike. Your hair even looks similar, now!"

"Shush," Iori blushed, lifting his hand up to undo the tail.

"No, don't!" Nitori reached out, stopping his hand. "It looks...really cute. I didn't mean it as a bad thing."

Iori glanced at Nitori and nodded, letting his hand dropped. 

"Does he ever talk about Australia?"

"No...I guess whatever happened, happened there."

"Well...I can be pretty persistent. He's hurting...I want to help," Iori said softly.

"I hope you can. I worry about him, sometimes. He stays up late sometimes, and he has a hard time sleeping...but he won't talk to anyone."

Iori swallowed hard, biting his lip, really worried now. He turned, heading out with Nitori towards his first class, but his mind wasn't on school, it was on Rin.

Just what the hell had happened to him in Australia?


	5. Art Update

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just an image update! You get to see Iori! :D Artwork done by the awesome SephCountTheWays!


	6. Daiki's Revenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iori attends his first day of classes, and finds that people aren't as put off as he thought they would be. Daiki, however, still holds a grudge...and he plans on getting payback.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forewarned, graphic violence in this chapter!

    "My name's Watanabe Iori, I transferred here from Sano High. I lost a leg but I'm not a cripple."  
  
    And so it went in every class, Iori had to get up in front of the room and do some dorky introduction.   
  
    "How did you lose your leg?"  
  
    "Shark attack."  
  
    "What?" "No way!" "You survived?"   
  
    "I hope I survived, I'm standing here right?"   
  
    That had actually gotten a laugh, and Iori could say he was fairly surprised. People seemed more...interested, genuinely, rather than repulsed, or feigning it to make fun. It was...an incredible change, really, especially considering the reception he'd gotten from his dorm mate. Sure, some people still looked at him in an off sort of way, but the typical reaction was...good.  
  
    Needless to say, Iori was...confused. He'd spent so long being bullied in school, and Daiki had pretty much slid right into the role as well, that Iori was pretty sure that with the exception of Seijuurou, Rin, and Nitori, he'd be dealing with pretty much more of the same.  He really wasn't sure how to take it.  
  
    As the first class headed out after the bell, Iori waited around and gathered his things. Nitori waited as well, since they had the same next class.  
  
    "That wasn't so bad, was it?"  
  
    "No...I'm surprised."  
  
    "Was it really so bad?"  
  
    "It was bad," he said softly, shaking his head. "Daiki...he's kinda tame with some of the shit I dealt with. So far, anyway."  
  
    "Wow. That's sad..."  
  
    "Eh. It's life, I guess. I just kinda got used to it...started keeping to myself."  
  
    Iori gathered his things and lifted his backpack, heading out with Nitori. The hall was crowded still, and the two boys waded their way through carefully. Nitori was on his right, walking along the wall, and Iori really thought nothing of being jostled at the moment, due to everyone heading to class.   
  
    Not until a bump was accompanied by a foot hooking behind his left ankle and kicking his leg out from under him, which had him letting out a yelp and wobbling on his prosthetic before toppling onto his back.   
  
    "Iori!" Nitori turned in time to see the boy fall over, eyes widening before he moved, holding out his hand to help the boy up.   
  
    A small groan left his lips and he reached out to take Nitori's hand, shifting carefully and getting to his feet slowly. A number of students had stopped and he nodded to them when asked if all right, frowning and looking towards Nitori.  
  
    "Did you see...?"  
  
    "No...did you?" the gray-haired boy frowned.  
  
    "No...it happened too fast," he sighed, leaning down and picking up his bag. "They knew which leg to go for though, so..."   
  
    Nitori's frown deepened and he simply rested his hand on Iori's back, shifting their positions so Iori was walking along next to the wall instead.   
  
    "Aww, lookit you getting all protective, Aichi-chan," he teased softly, grinning.  
  
    "Sh...shush," Nitori stammered, blushing brightly.   
  
    Iori grinned more and bumped his shoulder against Nitori's lightly. Nitori blinked and looked over, grinning back shyly. He bumped Iori's shoulder with his own in return, though a bit more carefully, for fear of knocking the boy too hard.  
  
    Their morning classes went by uneventfully after that.  Lunch was a different story, however. Chatting about their morning classes with Nitori, Iori didn't notice that he was passing Daiki's table. He wouldn't have really cared, but Daiki had noticed, and with a shh'ing motion to his friends, Daiki removed a baseball and sent it rolling into Iori's path.   
  
    Stepping on it, his foot rolled over the ball and sent his leg out from under him. His food tray went flying as he landed hard, yelping and covering his face when his food crashed down on top of him, soaked from the spilled drinks and messy from the food.   
  
    The table erupted with laughter, Daiki's braying laugh the loudest.  The entire cafeteria went quiet as heads turned to see the commotion, and, face burning, Iori slowly sat up. Utterly furious, he shoved Nitori's hand away, pushing the gray-haired boy away from him and struggling to his feet on his own.   
  
    Nitori's face fell with hurt at being shoved away and he stepped back from Iori, but didn't leave him. Iori grabbed the ball and limped to Daiki's table, the laughter dying off a bit as eyes turned curiously to him. He raised the baseball, having it in a white-knuckled grip in his fist.   
  
    "Think he's so funny, do you?" Iori's voice shook with his humiliation and building rage. "Great little joke. Did he share the joke with you that he's so fucking weak and cowardly that he' TRIPPING UP A KID WITH ONE LEG?!"   
  
    With his free hand, he reached down and yanked up the leg of his pants, showing shocked eyes the prosthetic.   
  
    "Do you still think it's fucking funny now, assholes? Your funny little baseball shithead has to make himself look cool picking on some kid who lost a leg in a shark attack?"   
  
    Daiki's face reddened with anger, and the buzzing around the table became more like angry bees than amused tittering. No one would meet Iori's eyes now, and they were shooting disgusted looks over at Daiki.   
  
    "Did he tell one of you fuckers it would be funny to trip me in the halls this morning? Was that one of you?"  
  
    Ashamed, one of the black-haired Upper Classmen at the table raised his hand, swallowing hard.   
  
    "That was me...Daiki...he told us you had someone beat on him for no reason..."  
  
    "Shut...up!" Daiki hissed furiously.   
  
    "No reason!" Iori practically shouted, raising the fist clenching the baseball, causing some guys at the table to flinch, expecting it to be thrown. "This cowardly shithead is my roommate! He can't deal with my fucking fake leg, so he stole it from the room this morning and stuck it on a treadmill!"  
  
    "Liar!" Daiki shouted, getting to his feet, face absolutely burning with rage and shame.  
  
    "He is not!" Nitori piped up, stepping to Iori's side. "You...you said he was one of the seven dwarves! You called him stumpy!"   
  
    Iori was taken by surprise by Nitori's outburst, looking over at the gray-haired boy.   
  
    "That's sick..."  
  
    "What the hell, man?"  
  
    All eyes were on Daiki now, and Iori looked back at him. Iori lifted the ball again, but then stopped himself, growling and instead dropping it into Daiki's drink as one of the teachers finally came over.  
  
    "What's going on?"  
  
    "I tripped over his ball, sir, I was just returning it to him," Iori said.  
  
    "Well...all right then, but don't go causing trouble now..."  
  
    "Yes, sir."  
  
`    "Go on then, someone's coming to clean up the mess. You can go get your food replaced, it will be taken care of."  
  
    "I'm not really hungry anymore," Iori gave the teacher a respectful bow. "Thank you, Sensei."   
  
    Turning, he limped away from the table, Nitori catching up, holding his tray again.  
  
    "Iori-chan,you can share with me!"   
  
    "No...it's fine..." he looked down. "I...I'm sorry for shoving you away."  
  
    "It's okay," Nitori murmured.   
  
    "I'm gonna go up to the dorm and change. See you later, okay?"  
  
    "I'll..."  
  
    "No...you eat. I'll be fine."  
  
    Nitori nodded and headed to a table. Iori turned, making his way out of the cafeteria.  Daiki fished the baseball out of his drink, and neither boy noticed him following Iori out.   
  
    Alone in the hallway, Iori had no idea Daiki was behind him. Daiki was the pitcher on the baseball team and was known for his hard-thrown fastballs and good aim. The baseball crashed through the joint of his prosthetic leg, breaking it and sending him to the ground. The leg came apart when he tried to get up.   
  
    Daiki was incensed and humiliated, looked down on by the group that had been his friends, and he was placing all the blame on Iori. The boy didn't even get the chance to defend himself when Daiki was on him, grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling him up, fist driving into the center of the purple-haired boy's face.   
  
    His head snapped back and he let out a cry of shock and pain, eyes tearing up. Daiki's fist slammed viciously into his face again, and both boys could hear the sickening crunch of Iori's nose under the older teen's fist, blood splattering over Iori's face.   
  
    "I'll get you for that, motherfucker!" Daiki growled. "I'll show you not to fucking put me down in front of my friends!"   
  
    The back of Iori's head cracked loudly against the floor as Daiki's fist pummeled into the boy's face, and after a few quick minutes of violent, rage-filled pounding, Daiki let the boy go. Getting to his feet, he directed a few soccer-like kicks to the boy's ribs, causing Iori to gurgle painfully and try to roll away weakly, barely conscious, face battered and bloodied, his blood staining the collar of his uniform shirt and blazer.   
  
    Satisfied, Daiki left Iori in the hall, heading back to his friends with the excuse he had to go to the bathroom. The bell was about to ring, and Daiki was planning on using his friends for an alibi when Iori was found.  
  
    Daiki had forgotten one thing, though...  
  
    ...the baseball.


End file.
